Posts Tagged ‘Beauty’

A professional cut is the basis of any style. Expert stylists evaluate your hair and lifestyle before they pick up a pair of scissors. The best way to choose a salon is by personal recommendation. Remember that the exterior can be deceptive, so have a look at the interior as well. The salon should be clean and welcoming, with a style and ambiance that appeals to you, and sales material that is new and fresh. The stylists should also reflect an image that you like.

The first visit: Once you have chosen a salon, make an appointment for a consultation. Wear clothes that reflect your lifestyle. Discuss your hair’s idiosyncrasies and explain what you like and dislike about it. Spare a few minutes to discuss how you are going to manage the style between salon visits. If you want place with the flick of a comb, say so. If you are prepared to spend 15 minutes a day scrunching a perm to perfection, then speak up. Hairdressers are not mind-readers; neither can they wave a magic wand. However they can, with technical expertise, make the most of any type of hair. Listen to what they offer, but never be coerced into something with which you don’t feel happy about. Good hairdressers translate fashion trends into what is right for you. Yet you must be realistic: if your hair is thick and curly it will never hang in a straight, shiny bob, no matter how good the cut.

Taking notes: While you are having your hair done, watch how your stylist does your hair, how mousse or gel is applied and how they dry your hair. A good haircut should need the minimum of styling products and drying to achieve the desired result. Ask for advice on how to achieve the same look at home. If you are not satisfied with the service you have received, then complain. Ask to see the salon manager, explain the problem, and ask what they are prepared to do about it. You should expect an apology, but don’t expect to be offered a refund. If you suffer serious damage, for example, an itchy, burning scalp, blisters, cuts, hair breakage or hair loss, then immediately seek advice from your family doctor or a trichologist. However, remember that hair grows, blisters heal and memories fade. So, act quickly and if necessary, make certain you have some photographs taken to reinforce your claim.

— The writer is a hair expert and runs Peaches Salon and Spa in Bengaluru

Sit on the floor on a block of wood or folded blanket. Lengthen your left leg straight out from the hip joint. Bend your right knee and place the bottom of the foot comfortably against the inner left thigh. To create a deeper stretch, place the right heel back towards your perineum. If the heel is drawn into the perineum, the shin bone will be at a right angle to the left leg. The right leg and knee should comfortably release into the ground.

Exhale and fold forward from the base of the hip joints. Keep the right foot flexed while pressing the back of the right thigh down on the floor.

To keep your back from collapsing, lift the chest as long as possible as you come forward. When you reach your limit, bring the chest and head down towards the ext ended leg. Reach your hands forward all the way to hold the left foot.

Be mindful as not to pull yourself forcefully into the forward bend. You may hold on to the extended leg or place the hands on the floor wherever they reach. During each inhalation, extend the spine long, and during each exhalation, deepen the forward bend. Repeat the pose on the other side.

Benefits:

Stretches the spine, back muscles, hamstrings and groins. Massages and stimulates internal organs like the liver and kidneys. Improves digestion and helps heal gastric ailments, calms the mind and central nervous system, relieves anxiety, fatigue, headache and menstrual discomfort. It also helps relieve symptoms of menopause. This asana is therapeutic for high blood pressure, depression, diabetes and insomnia too.

A string of festivals are set to ring in much cheer. Raksha Bandhan is coming up this week. Soon Gowri-Ganesha will follow. Then will come the bigger festivals — Dusshera, Diwali, Id-ul-Fitr and Christmas. All this means binge eating and giving the gym a miss!

Are you worried about your fitness plans and diet plans going awry? You need to stay on course, come what may.

Says Santosh Kumar, managing director of Figurine Fitness, Bengaluru, “It’s not easy being sandwiched between so many festivals. It’s also the time for guilt trips. But there are some basic rules which can help control cravings and stay focused on your exercise plan.”

The best way to do so would be to never go hungry before any meal, he says. “Ideally, snack on something healthy like cucumber or carrots. Drink water. They may not appeal to your palate during festivals, but they will help you go slow on the portions. The next day, no matter how hard it seems, make the effort to get out of bed and hit the gym or park. A basic cardio workout and crunches will hold you together without tiring you out. If you are not up to your gym workout, walk for 45-60 minutes in a park nearby or cycle. And if motivation is the problem, sign up for a group workout session either for aerobics or salsa till the festival season lasts. Or get a friend or family member to exercise with you,” advises Santosh.

As for food, chief dietitian and nutritionist Manipal Speciality Hospital, Bengaluru, Sreemathy Venkatraman says, “There is no need to deprive yourself of any foods, including sweets. Food cravings need not be suppressed. But when you see foods that you cannot say no to, accept very small portions. For example, if you like kheer and you love the gulab jamuns too, take one tablespoon of kheer and half a jamun. That way, your palate is satisfied and you won’t need to look the other way when you see that line-up of mouth-watering sweets.”

A traditional South Indian meal, even during festivals, is quite a balanced one. There is a mix of pulses, sprouts, veggies, rice, sweet, rasam, youghurt and pickle which takes care of all food tastes. “But moderation is something you have to train your mind to accept. And never go without exercise the day after a festive meal. Do any kind of exercise that makes you happy,” Sreemathy advises.

So keep those running shoes well within your sight as you enjoy a meal with family and friends during this season of festivals.

A mere mention of it is sure to bring about a teasing smile or an “ahem ahem” or a giggle if nothing else from your friends The power of a bikini wax! There are very few people you know who have got one. But the ones who have will only have nice things to say about it. The most common statement, as simple as it sounds, is “Oh! It feels so clean.”

A bikini wax is the removal of hair from the bikini line. This one comes in varieties too. There’s ‘American,’ ‘French’ and ‘Brazilian.’ American waxing and bikini waxing are pretty much synonymous and refer to hair removal below the navel and just above the thighs.

A French wax is one that involves a ‘landing strip’ that is left behind for effect. A Brazilian wax on the other hand refers to the total hair removal of pubic hair. It is also referred to as a thong wax or a playboy wax.

A bikini wax is like just any other wax where talc is dusted upon the skin before application of the wax. And a waxing strip is used to tug at the hair in a direction opposite to the hair growth. Stray hairs will be tweezed off.

If the above mentioned options are too sober for you, go in for other choices like getting a heart-shaped or a star-shaped design. Stencils with various shapes for bikini wax are available abroad. You could get anything from a star to an arrow or a lighting bolt or lips or a butterfly too. Dying the hair to another colour is possible. Crystal art is what some opt for too, apart from tattoos and body art.

Contrary to the scary images of pain that go through your head every time you picture a bikini wax, those who get it done regularly say that it is a matter of getting used to. PR professional Deeya M. got her first bikini wax out of curiosity. “I was really curious to know if it hurt — testing my pain threshold was one reason,” she says. “It hurt but not as much as I expected. The lady I went to was a pro and went about it quite clinically. The reason I tried it again was primarily because the first time was so easy. It made me feel sexier for some reason. I definitely plan to do it again,” she adds. Biotechnologist Priya K. vouches for the fact that it doesn’t hurt once you get used to it.

If you want to play it safe then take a pain reduction pill that your doctor has recommended about 30 minutes before a bikini wax. Always go to a salon that has been recommended by a friend. Pick a place that is hygienic and has well-trained professionals.

A bikini wax can cost you anything from Rs 350 to 700. “About 60 per cent of those that get them done are married women. The other 40 per cent are students,” says Tina S., Manager, Spratt. The beauticians at Mirrors and Within, Leela Galleria, agree.

There is an important tip that you need to keep in mind before getting bikini wax. Don’t snip hair before going in for a waxing session. A lot of women feel that it will be easier with the waxing process, or feel compelled to do so out of embarrassment. But it is best if you leave the hair growth the way it is.

“If the hair is shorter, then it becomes tougher to wax it off,” says beautician Lun of Chrysolite.

Those that have got bikini waxes are addicted to it. That may be a good reason for you to give it a try, fears and prejudices thrown aside.